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Last night, the third (and final) Presidential Debate was held a few blocks down from me at UNLV, and I’m happy to say that I survived with no more than a smattering of harsh words heard.

In case you’ve forgotten, this is my preferred candidate for the time being:

“And if I wanted to sit around all day going nowhere, I’d be a teacher!”

Putting that behind us (and not soon enough) – Well done, everyone! I didn’t get any notice (yet) from concerned individuals – parents or administration – so I can only assume that all is good. I will be traveling back homeward near the end of the week, and will resume gradebook updating and responding to queries early next week. If you have any questions or items that I should note, please consider leaving me a note in the turn-in tray, which should be filled with:

12th: Unit 1 Projects, with reflective essay and rubrics attached, leaving me a note if your project didn’t fit in the bin, or was digital upon completion. All of the Unit 1 (Beowulf and Canterbury)items should be in as well.

1010: Playing Devil’s Advocate graphic organizer, Toulmin Model organizers, Character Cards, and any notes or relevant votes pertaining to the Town Hall.

Congrats, again, everybody! Start planning your Halloween costume if you haven’t already (like some of us did back in July) – the costume contest will be in one week, on the 27th of October!

It’s the Not-So-Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

And on that final pic, good gourd, you shall dance into the weekend. Woot!

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Hey, hey Wednesday! I’ll be brief, as your Remind text probably sent you here while you should be getting ready for school. Skim through these notes while you slug that skim milk.

Just kidding – no one should drink skim milk:

I know what I’m about, son.

9th: Important goings on in class today! But first: Werewolf socks!

What happens in Vegas…causes people to head back home as cursed, but fashionable, monsters.

Okay, now that that’s covered – your own Wolf Week continues in class today, involving group collaboration to synthesize (Vocab! see the board’s Thinking Strategy poster) some article pieces from the Casper Star Tribune in 2015.

There are photos and links to help each group, but especially pertaining to those of you in Group 3 for the Timeline, which has a much larger version available through the article.

12th: It’s your final official work day for Unit 1 Projects, so make some magic happen! Or else.

Poof goes your grade.

1010: Today’s the day for your Town Hall! Unless you want to do it tomorrow. Whatever works – it’s your class. Just live in that character card, keep your manners clean, and don’t be throwing anything besides carefully considered arguments and objections.

Woot! Made it in one piece. I trust that your Monday was most marvelous, even if you had to go a whole day without my judgmental, raisedeyebrow.

Before the reminders, just a note – please feel free to reach out to me this week through the school e-mail or the Remind App. As I warned you, I will be away from grading this week, but I can still hear your questions, updates, and arguments as to why you should get extra credit/Vegas goodies/Time and Space considerations, etc.

On to your shameless check-ins!

9th: Did you enjoy Peter and the Wolf?! I love it. Make sure your Viewer’s Guide notes are in by the end of the week, or else you’ll be seeing this face when I get back in.

The stare already lives in your nightmares.

12th: How did I miss this opportunity last week in our Arthurian adventures?!

Maybe it fits into your Unit 1 Project on the cultural legacy of Arthur in British Literature. Or you can just get Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes treatment on this year too, in pre-medieval times. With monsters!

1010: Is the snark boiling over in class yet this week?! Keep it respectful, but get ready to amp up your character cards in that Town Hall. For some additional help, here’s a link to the original article’s comment section on The Atlantic. Maybe you’ll get some good arguments to try in class! I haven’t previewed them all of course, so I do not condone any comments by trolls you may find.

It’s mid-October again! Time to repost some “Magicke Moste Foule”. Sadly, I won’t be with you in this most wonderful week – what with 9th graders contending with wolves, Brit. Lit. finishing their pilgrimage to Canterbury, and the 1010 peeps playing Devil’s Advocate – out am I making conferencing! Just because I can’t be with you doesn’t mean I’m not here to help. All week, I will send you updates from my conference, and give you an opportunity to check in with me about assignments and other nonesuch. Be good to your sub, and check in every day for bonus items and reminders.

It’s the season of suspenseful storytelling, with an emphasis on imaginative yarns and wanderings through folklore. Here are some of the resources from class, by your request, that captured through digital wizardry (a most mysterious magic) the senses, tales, and spine-tingling thrills of the school year in October.

9th – Intro to Literature: This week, you’ve got suspenseful wolf texts to read and watch. All worksheets and reading notes will be due at the end of class Thursday. Today it’s “The Interlopers” – if you don’t finish in class, you can find the story online or pick up a print copy in the classroom. Also, because it’s the song you can’t escape from, no matter how far the river takes you, here’s “The Bottom of the River” by Delta Rae. Look for the wolves in the lyrics!

Perhaps one of the greatest music videos out there, not least of which in the terrible joy of ambiguity.

Brit. Lit: You’re finishing Unit 1 this week, with an emphasis on what this unit does for our class. Why study Early and Middle English? Answer this question with your impressive project, due Thursday. In today’s class you met Death – don’t incur another visit by turning in that project late! Remember: project reflective essay, rubric. All due Thursday!

For those of you looking for more Chaucer inspiration, here’s “The Canterbury Tales: Part I”, from Christmas Films, Pizzazz Pictures, and Right Angle.

These episodes aired on the BBC in 1998-2000, excerpting highlights from Chaucer with inventive animation swings. Not for the faint-hearted or tidy-minded, but then, a lot of the fun stuff from different historical eras isn’t.

ENGL 1010: Oh, my eggheaded darlings. I haven’t forgotten you. If you think I have, let’s play Devil’s Advocate about it! That’s your goal this week, and to help you poke holes in arguments you don’t like, we won’t just shout “WRONG!” or console ourselves with “That’s your opinion”. Get logical! Here’s the link to our favorite Book of Bad Arguments. Sometimes the best way to be right is simply being less wrong – point out those fallacies in your content this week!

Every year, the last week in September becomes the focal point for a concerted effort to celebrate the freedom to read. In this country, the First Amendment’s right to free speech must contend with a long history of censorship – promoted by individuals, organizations, and government. Banned Books Week is organized by the American Library Association (ALA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and a host of non-profits, publishers, and legal defense funds. It is supported by myself, among much of the reading world, and, through this week’s Extra Credit opportunity, by you!

Reasons why books are often challenged (Resources from the Huffington Post, in 2012 and 2014)

A checklist of frequently challenged books – check off as many as you’ve read!

C) Compose a 1 page essay (typed – 12pt font, TNR, double-spaced) on To Kill a Mockingbird as a challenged book. Why (and where/when) has it frequently been challenged? What might be ironic about wanting this book censored? What is your reflection on reading the book – how might you oppose or defend a challenge to this book at our school?

Whichever option you choose, it must be submitted by the end of the week, Friday, September 30. To be eligible, you must follow the requirements for each option, as well as aim for professional quality (Mom would put it on the fridge, and so would I!). Successful efforts will be awarded 20pts, and above-average efforts 30pts (each option is worth more than a homework assignment!). If nothing else, you can celebrate this week by finishing TKAM, and moving on to a new book which, having been published, probably has found someone to challenge it by now!

Now that you know tthe readiness is all, are you ready for the Extra Credit? (By “Extra Credit”, I mean one of the three options – a HW pass, points on a low-scored assignment, or an item from the Time and Space Box.)

It’s simple, by Jove – go see the exhibit! That’s it. Brush up your Shakespeare with a visit to the State Museum, and prove it with a selfie in the exhibit!

Your selfie must be in the exhibit, however!

The Museum is located at 2301 Central Avenue in downtown Cheyenne (mind the road closures at 19th street). The hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday (Fridays and Saturdays are your best bet unless you’re on a field trip I should’ve been invited on, fustilarian!). Admission is FREE!

There is also an opening night reception, featuring guest lecturer Professor Peter Parolin of UW’s English Dept. (one of the best classes I took there)! This event is tonight (8th September) from 5-7 pm to see the folio, and the lecture runs from 7-8 pm. So fair a day you shall not likely see, and you can get extra credit if I see you there!

So that’s it! Check in with me for more info should you need it – better three hours too soon than a minute too late!

Hello student new to Mr. Earnshaw’s class (and a few of you who, ya know). This year, we will be taking many quizzes and other assessments online through Google Classroom! To help familiarize you with the quiz form – made in Google Forms – this week we have a starter quiz, to be completed as another grade for orientation. To complete the quiz, you will follow this link to the form.

You will need to know your school Google log in – it’s your firstname.lastname@laramie2.org, and a password that you might need to reset. Check in with the office or Mr. Kinstler to get this password sorted out.

After you have logged in and successfully completed the 3-question quiz, you will be entered into a drawing for the year’s first giveaway!

Oprah!

There will be two winners – a student from the freshmen class and one from the senior – chosen at random on Thursday! Yay!

Oh, Oprah.

Don’t forget that Thursday is also the Gameshow Quiz over Week 1 – more fabulous prizes to be won!

Ain’t back to school grand?

You’ve done it again.

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Can you believe it?! Not much sense in thinking backwards now – so let’s go ahead and get started! Here is the welcome back slideshow airing in the Back to School evening event. Only those present will hear the soulful tunes and receive the wicked handouts, but all can be redeemed when school officially tarts next week. See ya then!

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About Justin

Justin Earnshaw is currently an English teacher in the high school of Burns, Wyoming. He is a lifelong Wyoming resident with a passion for travel, food, and half-finished home improvement projects. As a full-time teacher and recent grad student, he can be found in whatever free time is left biking to the library with his wife, playing with their pair of puppies, and eating too many sandwiches.